To prevent injury, New York Yankees' Brian Bruney plans to cut down workload between games

Kim Klement/US PresswireBrian Bruney admits he's thrown certain pitches over and over again instead of just trusting they'll be there for him.

BOSTON -- Yankees reliever Brian Bruney stops short of calling himself a perfectionist.

Still, when he's throwing bullpens or side sessions while keeping himself sharp between appearances, he'll throw a certain pitch over and over if he believes the pitch isn't executed just right. There is a price, however, to throwing so many pitches, which is why Bruney figures he's landed on the disabled list with a muscle injury in his right (throwing) elbow.

"I think there needs to be a little bit of trust in certain pitches, that they will be there," he said. "I don't need to sit there and throw them 15 times, 20 times in the bullpen."

That's been the message repeated by coaches in the past, the latest being Yankees bullpen coach Mike Harkey. And it's advice that Bruney, the Yankee's top reliever aside from Mariano Rivera, has been hesitant to accept. Until now.

"If something doesn't work well, I'm going to sit there and work on it, work on it. I end up throwing so much," Bruney said. "It's something I've always done. But you know what? Now it got me and now I know what they're talking about. Now, we're going to change the routine and throw a little bit less."

Bruney knew something was wrong during his appearance against Oakland, in which he allowed a run. Though his velocity remained the same, Bruney said his breaking pitches felt flat. The next day, Bruney asked to be checked out.

"Nothing is as sharp as it usually is," he said. "I just didn't have a feel. There was something there and I knew it."

The injury -- officially a muscle strain in Bruney's flexor muscle -- will sideline the reliever for at least two weeks. He will not be permitted to throw at all during his first week away.

"I think it's my fault. I think I throw too much in the bullpen and on the side," Bruney said. "Anytime you have a relatively high workload, I can't do that. I think this is my fault and I've got to make the corrections."